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I didn't watch that show but was told about it. Yes, Sadiq Musawi's real name is Tariq Matar (says so on his British passport, I sort of remember) and he may be a Fayli Kurd, although he's denied it to me repeatedly. He was a turbaned student in his early days in Karbala and a sympathizer, maybe even a member, of Munathemet Al-'Amel al-'Islami. Later he turned 180 degrees: He joined Sharif Ali and the Constitutional Monarchy Movement in London. That's about the worse that can be said about him. Many, many worse things can be said about Misha'an al-Jebouri, including how he may have duped two of his cousins and sent them off from Damascus to die at the hands of the Amn al-Khass, at a time when he was trying to kiss up to Qusay and get 'Uday off his back. Really, in my opinion, he's as low as they come. And some have found that useful; he is released like a rabid dog on political opponents. His patrons, some of whom have really suffered from Saddam, should be ashamed of themselves.

Dear yessir,

I mentioned my thought on that in passing in this column (Sept. 2006, Lebanon's Fuse):

http://talisman-gate.blogspot.com/2006/09/lebanons-fuse.html

I wrote at the time:

"As more Shia communities in the Persian Gulf and the Levant come under attack, the Iranians will likely shirk such a cumbersome responsibility as leading the world's Shias. Suddenly, they will discover that their 'Iranian' national interest is best served by staying out of this mess, and they will retreat."

Iran has the luxury of being geographically isolated, and hence buffered, from the worse of this Sunni revivalist storm. They will opt out of this confrontation.

That's my reading. But let me acknowledge that it is a foolhardy business to assume familiarity with Iran's decision-making mechanisms--they seem to be in constant flux.

"He was a turbaned student in his early days in Karbala and a sympathizer, maybe even a member, of Munathemet Al-'Amel al-'Islami. Later he turned 180 degrees: He joined Sharif Ali and the Constitutional Monarchy Movement in London. That's about the worse that can be said about him."